Float With Me?

Saturday afternoon, I receive a text….Wanna float tomorrow? Ahhh, these boys. I do love our neighbor gay boys. I left a bag of goodies on the porch after he moved in five years ago and we were fast friends. Of course, I was his only neighbor at the time, since the neighborhood was just starting…so maybe his options were limited. After he opened my goodie bag, he promptly made a casserole and brought it over. God, bless the casserole makers.

These boys are my brothers. Honestly, I'm not sure what I'd do without them in my world. I hear lots of people say that they have friends that are like family, but I wonder….really, would you do anything for them. Anything? What if they're ax murders and you suddenly find out. Will you visit them in prison? Because, I would visit these guys in prison if they turned out to be psychopaths. Mainly because I'd never believe it.

And so…yesterday, we floated. And played with a .99 cent beach ball. And had more fun than anybody has a right to. Just three 50-somethings and one 40-something (me) playing in a pool volleying a ball to each other. When you have love, you don't need much more.

I think I already know what my favorite activity will be at the nursing home!

P.S. I am not yet 50 and I didn't want you to be thinking that I was!

Glad I Didn't Get an Elephant!

Some people create fancy works of art in their cappuccinos, like this one from art in my coffee:

Me? I wait for my coffee to speak to me. Looks like I need a new pair of pumps. Thanks coffee for communicating something that I can actually afford! Although, a pet elephant would be the talk of the Gayborhood!

Summer Lovin'

I have always been one of those people that looked forward to the Fall. Warm cozy sweaters, cool days and turning leaves. A really sharp pair of boots and thank you, God…. summer was over. Well now, I've lost a few pounds and frankly I'm loving SUMMER! 

We're having pool parties and going for rides in the convertible! I may end up the most wrinkled, freckled redhead on the planet, but I just don't care. Well, I care enough to wear sunscreen and avoid skin cancer, but as you can tell from my new pic up there…I'm freckled. So be it. 

A couple of years ago, we had to let go of Trace Jeanell after she developed a pancreatic tumor. Tough time. We went the very next day to pick up Taylor, at the Nashville Humane society, who was supposed to be my new dog. A year later to the DAY, Isaac passed from cancer and we went back to Nashville Humane and brought home Caasi. 

Despite the best laid plans and names on vet records, we had to switch dogs. That black and brown lunk of a dog with a stick is my girl. Not that anything will every come between me and My Love, so that we have to take our dogs and move on…. but still…she's mine. 

That's her playing for the first time in the West Bay of Lake Michigan in Traverse City. I've been too protective of her after losing Trace. It's time for her to run free and experience some of the big fun that life has to offer. She was running off leash in the bay, freezing her paws off and loving every minute of it! Life is good. 

They didn't even have gravy...

You may have missed that I spent a few weeks in Turkey. Right before the PKK events of late and the earthquake in the town of Van. I stayed in that town. Please send up a prayer for those people. The one thing that I always come back with is that wherever you go, people are just people.

We're travelers, not tourists. We go down the back roads and buy from old ladies selling dirty grapes. Sat with the men drinking tea in the middle of the day. We drank a lot of tea. We shook so many hands, that I started calling my uncle, The Senator.

I missed my new puppy, who is still very much so. And everywhere I looked, there she was! We thought she was a pure bred Tennessee Brown Dog, but no. She may not be a pure bred Turkish Kangal or Anatolian Shepherd. But she is certainly related. She's just not as tired from herding sheep all day. She's more of a "catch rain in my snoot" kind of girl.

I have lots of stories that I'm itching to tell. And little time to tell them. But I did want to pop in and say hello, is it me you're looking for?

The New Addition

With great sadness, we had to let our Trace Jeanell go to the Rainbow bridge about 10 days ago. The next day, Isaac was grief striken. He would barely look at me. I knew what had to be done.

We three piled into the car and headed to the places around here that have puppies. Cute, fuzzy butted ones. The first place only had big puppies. We wanted a little one.

The second place was loud. One lady pointed at Isaac, nearly scaring him to death that she was going to take him with her.

Then we saw her. She was asleep and seemed so gentle and laid back. Not at all like her yelping, biting and crazy wild sister.

Taylor Rene is a liar.

Mardi Gras Did It or Maybe It Wasn't Her Fault

The first task on my new assistant's "to do" list was to find a contractor in Louisiana. Today it finally dawned on me why she can't find anyone that can think straight for five minutes.

Mardi Gras.

I may have been too hard on her. Her desk was a hot mess yesterday, but this morning everything was filed and in folders. Perhaps she's one of those people that works in disarray. I'm giving her until Friday and then I'll make a decision. (AKA: Cheeky Monkey and Lynette are probably right.)

Dana, I'd hire you in a hot second. But the commute will suck.